Witness in Casey Anthony case was in jury pool

A woman who was on the witness list also was called as a potential juror today in the Casey Anthony murder case, triggering the dismissal of nearly 50 potential jurors.

"No one had the wildest idea that through the driver's license program that a potential juror listed as a witness would be summoned and talk to folks," said Judge Belvin Perry Jr.

But apparently the woman went through the jury room and talked about her views on the case with many of those were about to be called upstairs for initial jury questioning.

"Stranger things have happened," the judge said. "It happened here. We took the course of action and eliminated the panel."

Picking a jury now is expected to last for days. Perry told prosecutors and defense attorneys they should be prepared to work Saturday and possibly early Monday.

"It's just a fluke," Karen Levey, spokeswoman for the Orlando-based circuit where the trial will be held, said of the witness being called as a potential juror.

Neither the state nor the defense would say for which side the woman was a witness. But she apparently was involved with Texas Equusearch, a group involved in helping search for Caylee Anthony when she was missing.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will have additional staff in place in the jury room this morning to make sure that prospective jurors do not talk among themselves about the case.

Only 36 of an initial group of 110 prospective jurors were picked after the first round of questioning that started Monday. The rest were eliminated for various reasons.

Perry, chief judge for the Orange-Osceola circuit, is trying to find 12 jurors and eight alternates from Pinellas County for the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks. Instead of moving the trial from Orange County, the judge is trying to find jurors in Pinellas who have not been tainted by publicity from the case.

Anthony faces first-degree murder and other charges in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. The girl's body was found near her suburban Orlando home in December 2008, several months after she was reported missing. Anthony told authorities a babysitter had kidnapped her daughter.

Earlier today, Perry questioned jurors individually about whether they could spend up to two months sequestered in an Orlando hotel and how much strain that might put on their lives.

Those not dismissed during the initial review will be brought back for more thorough questioning about the case, including whether they could recommend the death penalty against Anthony if she is convicted of first-degree murder.

One potential juror made it easy for the judge to dismiss her during the second day of trying to seat a panel.

The woman already was convinced Anthony was guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

"I've already prejudged three years ago," the woman said. "It's very disturbing to me."

She told the court that the case reminds her of problems her niece is having.

"It hits very close to home," she said. "It reminds me of her."

The judge thanked her for her candor and dismissed her from the jury pool.

Attorneys for the prosecution and defense began their second day of questioning potential jurors this morning at the Pinellas County criminal courthouse on 49th Street North.

The jurors will be taken to Orlando for the trial, which is scheduled to get under way a week from today.

One of the first potential jury members questioned today was an elementary school teacher who said serving on the jury would not be a hardship.

"My children are grown," she said. "I have a husband at home. He can mow the lawn."

Another prospective juror said he, too, could head to Orlando for as much as eight weeks.

"I'm here to fulfill my civic responsibility," he said.

That is not the case with everyone, however.

"I cannot go eight weeks without an income," said one woman, who added the trial would create "significant financial hardship" for her.

One man told the judge the only issue he faced would be registering for classes at Valencia Community College in Orlando.

"We can help you with that," the judge said.

The student was kept on the list of potential jurors and will face additional questioning.

A single mother who has a 15-year-old son at home asked if she would be able to go home on the weekends to see him; she was told she would not be allowed to do that.

She said she was not comfortable leaving him in the care of her 29-year-old son, who could come and stay in her house while she was gone.

"It might not be in the condition I want it to be in when I come back," she said of her house.

She said that while her teenage son was an honor student and quite responsible, she could not say the same of her other son.

"He's immature," she said. "He'd be partying at my house. I don't think I want to come back and find my house trashed."

About midmorning, defense attorneys interrupted proceedings to complain about microphones in the courtroom, saying some were picking up private conversations with their client.

The lawyers wanted some of the devices turned off.

"They are asserting their conversations are ending up on the Internet," the judge said.

"Just be careful what you say," Perry cautioned them. "You're in a public courtroom. People have ears and they will utilize those ears."

The microphone at the defense table was turned off. And spectators and reporters were removed from the rows behind the defense table.

In 2007, another high profile case from the Tampa Bay area forced a judge to move the trial and sequester jurors for six months.

Publicity around the case of convicted child killer John Couey forced a judge to move the case to Miami, where a jury was picked and sequestered for six weeks at a cost of nearly $600,000.

It took a month to find a jury in Miami to hear the Couey case.